IT 380: Systems Analysis and Design
(Note: This course was COMS 380: Systems Analysis and Design before the 2007-8 catalog.)
Contents
This course explores both structured as well as object oriented systems analysis
and design. Use of upper and lower CASE tools are employed in the analysis,
design and implementation of a team oriented term project.
This course (IT 380) is a prerequisite for the following IT course(s):
This course is normally scheduled every fall and spring semester.
(
under construction...)
The following content areas will be covered.
- Software Life Cycles (about 5 hours)
- Design, Test, Debug (about 5 hours)
- Software Planning (about 2 hours)
- Analysis and Design Tasks (about 7 hours)
- Requirements and Specifications (about 7 hours)
- Requirements and Prototyping (about 2 hours)
- Systems Specification (about 5 hours)
- Programming Environments (about 7 hours)
- Functional Specifications (about 5 hours)
- Object-Oriented Concepts (about 7 hours)
- Top Down Implementation (about 7 hours)
Additional topics may also be covered based on time and student interest.
By the end of this course, you should be able to
- explain how formal software development techniques can contribute to the success of software and system development efforts
- explain how to ensure acceptance and incorporate standards compatible with successful life cycles
- explain IS life cycle phases and concepts and alternatives
- explain life cycle concepts used to engage in and complete a project of considerable size and scope, involving teams
- classify a given test as black-box or white-box
- distinguish between the terms test and debug
- explain how GUI testing tools can test user interfaces
- explain how to use "print" statements to reveal a bug
- explain the process of designing a computer-based solution to a problem, and how developing a computer-based solution differs from development of a manual solution
- explain the relationship between design, implementation, and testing
- explain when it is appropriate to use a debugger
- explain why a bug can appear only sporatically
- give examples of appropriate tests for validating a method with several parameters and one return value
- define the relationship of IS planning to organizational planning
- list key steps in planning a software project
- demonstrate ability to draw and read a UML class-diagram with attributes and operations
- demonstrate ability to undertake a moderately complex systems development project using a CASE tool
- utilize a CASE tool to generate documentation
- utilize simple deployment and component diagrams to describe a proposed architecture
- classify gathered requirements and produce written specifications based on those requirements
- discover requirements from existing reports and forms
- discover requirements from existing software applications
- utilize questions to elicit systematically data requirements from individuals and groups
- explain the meaning and purpose of prototyping
- explain why, in most cases, a prototype should not be extended to become the final product
- explain the concepts of implementing IS coupled to re-development and continuous improvement
- utilize programming environments available for business application development
- explain the relationship between functional specifications, detailed information system plan, and information system application controls
- utilize classes which involve elements of the "hierarchy of data" (bit, byte, fields, records, files, database) as a basis for the solutions to problems
- write and implement a class containing a constructor and other several methods, then use that class from another class
- implement programs in a top-down manner
Final textbook choice is determined by the instructor, who may
choose a textbook similar to one the following. This list can give you an
idea of the course topics, coverage, and depth.
- Marakas, Systems Analysis & Design: An Active Approach, McGraw-Hill, 2006(ISBN: 0072976071)
- Satzinger, Jackson, Burd, Systems Analysis & Design in a Changing World (4th), Course Technology, 2006(ISBN: 1-4188-3612-5 )
- Shelly, Rosenblatt, Cashman, Systems Analysis and Design (6th), Course Technology, 2005(ISBN: 0-619-25510-2)
- Valacich, George, Hoffer, Essentials of Systems Analysis and Design (3rd), Prentice-Hall, 2004(ISBN: 0131016059)
- Whitten, Bentley, Systems Analysis and Design Methods (7th), McGraw-Hill, 2007(ISBN: 0073052337)
Additional readings may be assigned by the instructor.
